Staff across Wales’ FE colleges will receive a minimum pay increase for the current academic year of at least 2.75%. Staff joining the qualified teaching workforce will see their pay rise by 5% due to a pay deal made possible by the partnership approach between Welsh Government, employers and trade unions.
Dafydd Evans, Chair of the ColegauCymru Principals’ Forum said,
“Staff are the key component in delivering life-changing learning to students of all ages. In a time of continued austerity the approach taken by individual colleges and the Welsh Government has been to ensure that there is parity between school and college staff.”
The pay deal brokered by ColegauCymru, the post-16 education charity, is based on the principles of social partnership and extends to all staff across a wide range of roles essential to the effective running of the FE colleges in Wales.
The Welsh Government has provided £6m towards further education pay this year, a contribution of 1.75% towards the 2.75% increase, matching the support the Welsh Government announced for school teachers’ pay. The remainder has been secured via college budgets.
The Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams MS, said
“Our colleges play a vital part in post-16 education in communities, towns and cities right across Wales and it’s essential for me that Further Education staff receive the same pay as school teachers. We recently announced an increase in the Further Education budget of £23m for the next financial year, which includes funding for sixth forms and Adult Community Learning. We are also investing an additional £2 million to increase mental health and well-being support for students and staff in further education institutions.”
Further Information
Welsh Government Press Release
Mental health support and staff pay rise among £23m increase in further education spending in Wales
12 February 2020
